Nursing Careers Archives

Today I wanted to share a little information about different types of nurses. And by this I mean the different nursing career types of registered nurses not the different nursing degrees like LPN, BSN or others.

Different nursing career paths like an ER nurse or a pediatric nurse are sometimes not really thought about when students are first starting out. So I thought rather than write a lengthy post will dull descriptions of a bunch of different (and too numerable to cite all of them here) types of nurses, that I would provide some good links to videos and other blog post to help you get on your way at looking at nursing careers.

A nurse can be an RN, an LPN, an LVN or a nurse practitioner, which can do almost anything a doctor can do. Discover what nursing careers exist with help from a board-licensed practical nurse in this free video on nursing and becoming a nurse. Expert…

RNs, or registered nurses, can work in a variety of jobs, including everything from intermediate care to the ICU. Discover how to work as an RN in home health, travel nursing or oncology with help from a licensed RN in this free video on nursing jobs…

To become a hospice nurse, each hospice chapter has different types of requirements, which vary for education, training, background and experience. Learn about the benefits of becoming a hospice nurse in this free video from a hospital dietitian abou…

To Purchase the FULL DVD, please go to: www.heatinc.ca OVERVIEW: Obstetrical Nursing: Complications of Pregnancy is designed to familiarize nurses with the different types of complications that can occur during pregnancy. The course also describes ap…

Pediatric nurses are the same as other nurses in terms of training, but they primarily work with a pediatric population, which usually encompasses infants to children who are 17 or 18 years old. Learn about the environment that pediatric nurses work …

I hope you enjoyed the videos. Now here are some other blogs that talk about different types of nurses.

Of the different types of nursing jobs, contract nursing is rapidly becoming the favored RN career opportunity. For those who prefer a stable position in one location, full-time nursing job is the right choice. Part-time nursing and …

With almost 2.6M registered nurses (RN) in the US , registered nursing has become the biggest health care industry in the United States. If you believe that private hospitals are the primary place a nurse might be located, …

I want to get into nursing but Im not sure what kind I want to become. Does anybody know all of the types of nurses there are that I can choose from and the yearly salary(its optional, you dont have to put the salary) Thanks! …

There are many different types of nursing that you can go into. Once you become a nurse, you can major in sub-specialties. There are Operating room nurses, medical surgical nurses, pediatrics nurses, rehab nurses, ICU nurses, OB nurses, …

Well, that is about it for today. I hope you have learned something and take some time to investigate the videos and blogs provided here. Just remember there are a lot of different types of nurses out there and you can find a career path that suits your interests.

Becoming a nurse practitioner may be the nursing career path for you. Although it has become a lot easier to find nurse practitioner programs than in the past, it can cost quite a bit of cash. So you want to be sure that it is right for your goals.

An advanced nursing degree is required for becoming a nurse practitioner. Most programs require that you get a Masters of Science in Nursing degree (MSN) first. You should so some research on what your State Board requires and take a look at the education options available to you.

At the end of your education, you’ll be required to take a nursing exam in order to get your license as a nurse practitioner. You’ll still be a registered nurse, but you’ll now be able to diagnose and treat a number of medical conditions, prescribe medications, and even work independently of a doctor in many states. Getting a master’s degree in any field isn’t easy because of the work and dedication it takes to prepare for your career at this level, but becoming a nurse practitioner online doesn’t have to be more difficult than taking classes at a typical campus college.How to Become a Nurse Practitioner

As well as getting your degree, then you will have to spend some time in a nurse practitioner residency program.

Even newly graduates residents have to work and assist physicians and experienced nurse practitioners in various medical settings in order to gain practical experience. After completion of your master’s degree, you can take up license nurse practitioner exam.NP resident practical experience

This thing about a Nurse Practitioner (NP) career path is that you are not limited to hospitals or nursing homes. Many doctors offices have NPs that are critical to servicing the general healthcare patients. In fact, in some areas, nurse practitioners can have their own practice.

Due to the fact that health care seems to be ever evolving, NPs tend to work collaboratively with other industry professionals. Becoming a nurse practitioner means that your extra training in research, management, and public health is utilized to diagnose patients, manage health care staff, and serve a broader purpose.

During the 1960s, the nation had a physician shortage, which created the position of “Nurse Practitioner.” These professionals provide care very similar to physicians, diagnosing and treating conditions. Currently, the demand for Nurse Practitioners is on the rise, and these individuals earn a generous wage, about $86,486 annually according to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (2009).Nurse Practitioner Careers

Well, in this post we are going to do a comparison of the two job descriptions and the educational requirements for achieving both. Let’s take a look shall we?

The thing about being a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant is that at first glance they seem very similar and thus it can be difficult to make choice for your nursing career. But as we look closer at the two, we see some significant differences that should be considered when making your choice to be either a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant.

Let’s start talking about how similar these two career paths are.

As a Nurse Practitioner, or a Physician Assistant, you will have the availability to work closely with and care for your patients. You will prepare medical histories, examine the patients and develop care plans for them.

As a Nurse Practitioner, or a Physician Assistant you will be able to diagnose and treat your patients, however this is where the differences start to show. A Nurse Practitioner can do this unsupervised, where as a Physician Assistant needs to have a doctor to oversee their efforts. Now, the level of supervision varies from doctor to doctor and their comfort with the PAs experience, level of education, and skills in their particular specialty.

Both Can Prescribe Medication For Their Patients

However, here again the Physician Assistant usually is supervised by a doctor where an NP does not require the supervision.

Also, there are some medicines that a PA can not prescribe such as narcotics and because they are licensed by the state, there may be other medications that the particular states restricts.

Education Can Vary Slightly

To be a Nursing Practitioner you need to be a registered nurse and obtain a Master’s degree. Some states require a MS in Nursing, but in others it just has to be a Master’s and preferably related to the healthcare field. You will also need to take care to get additional clinical experience.

A Physician Assistant also need to get an advanced degree, along with a qualified background experience in nursing, paramedic training or equivalent emergency medical services. The PA will go for a Masters of Science in Physician Assistance and then apply for a PA license. You must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) in order to achieve your license.

What about Salary?

Again these to career paths are similar. All of the statistics that I have seen state that the average pay for both a Nurse Practitioner and a Physician Assistant are around $70,000-85,000 a year with an average work week of about 35 hours. With this kind of pay and hours it makes sense why there are so many nurses that are pursuing advanced education!

So, to sum it up: the tasks and daily efforts of the Nurse Practitioner and the Physician Assistant are very similar. The biggest difference I see is the autonomy that the NP gets vs. the PA. The Nurse Practitioner may have their own clinic or practice (in some states) and the Physician Assistant requires the supervision of a doctor (hence the PA title).

Let’s talk about how to prepare for the NCLEX.

But first you need to know a little about theNCLEX exam. This can be a stressful event in your path to being a nurse.

The main purpose of the NCLEX is to provide a certain level of standardization for testing competency levels. In other words, are you a safe and effective nursing professional?

The test is geared for entry level nurses

So don’t get stressed out about knowing absolutely everything there is to know about being a nurse. Though the test is adaptive which basically means if you miss a difficult question, the next one shouldn’t be as hard. Read the rest of this entry

Licensed Practical Nurses are also called Licensed Vocational Nurses.

We have talked about Registered Nurses (RN) and Nurse Practitioners (NP) in some detail in previous posts, so I thought we should talk about Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) and give an LPN job description.Read the rest of this entry

Where, Oh Where, Have All The Nursing Jobs Gone?

I have posted some information related to this topic in an earlier post, but it seems to be a popular question so I thought I would give a little more insight on the matter of nursing jobs here.

There are reports from many agencies that indicate a need for more RNs.

There are also many reports that suggest that this is just the tip of the iceberg and that in a few years we are going to see a huge number of open positions. Here I will give you a little more specific information about the outlook of nursing jobs. Read the rest of this entry

Understanding nursing research could lead you into a great specialty.

Understanding nursing research seems to be a good topic after my last post on informatics. As I said in the post, as a nurse your focus is in caring for patients and their families as well as promoting education for managing their condition.

Nurse researchers use the scientific method to define criteria to improve patient care, safety procedures, as well as save costs. There are many other specific areas of research but I see these as the primary three. Research gets highly specific with studies like The Effectiveness of an Aspiration Risk-Reduction Protocol or Evaluating Central Venous Catheter Care.

Nursing researchers generally need to have a PhD in order to be the principal investigator of a particular area of study.

National funding will often dictate this criteria. A nurse with an MSN (Master’s of Science in Nursing) may be eligible for a research assistant position.

Understanding Nursing Research - This can be a Specialty Specific Career Path

If you are an RN are interested in understanding nursing research then take a look at the sites mentioned above. If you think that is a career path that is of interest to you, then start pursuing a higher degree such as an MSN or PhD. In the near future I will have some information for you regarding school options, so keep your eyes peeled! Please, if you have any experience in this area, I would love to see your comments on understanding nursing research.

Nursing informatics is a specialty that combines computer expertise as well as data and information research within the field of nursing.

The end goal is promoting better patient care.

The nursing professionis primarily about patient care and education. As a nurse you are at the bedside taking vitals, delivering meds, observing patient behavior and symptoms, not to mention dealing with bodily fluids. Education of the patient, or to their family, on how and what the care should be after they return home is also a large part of the nursing profession.
Something else that is becoming more and more prevalent in nursing is the use of technology. More and more electronic medical records are being employed, mobile applications are entering the market in what seems to be a daily basis, new and updated medical devices are also continually showing up. Nurses need to be able to stay current, understand how to use the information and technology, and be comfortable enough with these things that their personal touch toward patient care is not hindered.

The nursing informatics specialist gathers information on all of the technology mentioned above, and much more. Read the rest of this entry

If You Get a BSN Degree Will You Make More Money?

Ok, this is a common questions full of yes, no and maybe answers. It also tends to be a tender subject amongst nurses because, sometimes it seems to be interpreted as a suggestion that as an Associate’s Degree Nurse (ADN) you might somehow be less competent in your job than a Bachelor’s of Science Nurse (BSN). Let me clear the air regarding this topic, right up front- then we can talk about the actual question about making more money with a higher degree.

There really is a shortage of nurses!

I am sure you have heard that there is a tremendous shortage of nurses in the United States and that it looks as though that amount of nurse job openings is only going to increase in the near future. This is factual information with statistical data to back it up, and I will talk about this in a minute. However, I keep getting asked,

“If there is such a shortage of nurses, then where are all the nurse job openings?”

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) diagnose and treat much like a doctor might.

Nurse practitioner careers are available to RNs who choose to advance their career with an advanced degree, such as a Master’s degree, as well as clinical training. They will help patients manage their illnesses at clinics, hospitals and medical offices.

Registered nurses (RNs) currently fill about two and a half million jobs in the health care industry.

A majority of those positions are in hospitals. There are many activities in a registered nurse career no matter what the specialty. You treat and educate patients, you record their symptoms and medical history, you provide moral support for their family members and explain to them any home care needs for post-treatment.

You work place situation is always changing, keeping you on your toes. You must keep up to date on changing technology, new treatment criteria, not to mention the ever changing needs of your patients.

Yes, a registered nurse career will definitely keep your mind active!

RN duties vary drastically from one position to the next and are generally specific to the demographic of the patients and where the work is being done. By this I mean that an RN on the Labor and Delivery floor of the hospital is going to have different daily tasks than a geriatric nurse working in an elderly care facility. I know that seems to be pretty obvious when stated that way, but in my experience many people new to nursing dont consider this fact. Read the rest of this entry

There are many things that affect your nursing career salary.

Do you know what will impact how much you earn?

Here are a few things you should think about:

Special trends can break the norm.

As many of you know we are currently in a shortage of nurses. With shortages, generally salaries go up. Now, this issue of the current shortage is a big one and rather than get off topic today, look for future posts regarding the nursing shortage. For now, let’s just accept that the data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics shows that we have and will continue to have a shortage. The next bit of information will help you plan for the future. Read the rest of this entry

There seem to be as many types of nursing careers as there are nurses these days!

Below is a list of the 3 most common education levels with a little explanation about them. Within these levels are many types of nursing careers. Varying specialties, work environments, and certifications combine with these education levels to create hundreds of nursing career paths. Today I will just be talking about the education levels but we will be talking about various careers in the future. Read the rest of this entry